Ashley Wadsworth has made it home from England.
The body of the murdered Vernon woman has come back to her family, and she will be laid to rest Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 12 p.m. A service will take place at the Pleasant Valley Funeral Home with burial to follow in the Pleasant Valley Cemetery.
“We are so grateful to everyone who helped make it happen,” said Wadsworth’s cousin, Melissa Locke.
The family is inviting people to be with them via video for the service. If you would like to attend via video streaming, please send a private message on Facebook to Tova Wadsworth, and she will send you the link.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help with costs associated with having the body returned from overseas. As of Feb. 21, the campaign has raised more than $40,200.
“Once Ashley is laid to rest as per her beliefs and mom’s wishes, anything remaining in this Gofundme will be used to set up a scholarship in her name,” the campaign reads. “We would also like to make a donation to a charity in her name on behalf of others who have fallen victim of domestic violence.”
Wadsworth, 19, was found dead in a residence in Essex, England, Feb. 1. The man Wadsworth was said to have been dating, Jack Sepple, 23, of Essex, has been charged with her murder.
He is slated to appear in court again on March 7 to enter a plea. A trial date has provisionally been set for Sept. 5.
Speaking on behalf of the large Wadsworth family, Locke said all the cousins are more like siblings.
“We have a very large and very close family here. There’s over 50 of us that live in the same small town.”
She shared a post from that large and close family on her Facebook page:
“On behalf of our family I want to thank everyone for your condolences. Although we may not respond, your messages mean so much. In the dark moments when we need support, we read them over and over and are comforted. We are coping with this the only way we know how, with love and togetherness.
“People have asked how they can help…You can help by spreading love and joy in her honour.”
A graduate of W.L. Seaton Secondary, Wadsworth had studied the Book of Mormon, connected with Christ and was baptized in her teen years.
READ MORE: ‘She wanted to do so many things’: Vernon family grieving woman murdered in England
READ MORE: U.K. vigil for Vernon woman a ‘touching’ tribute to 2 murder victims
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